Dramatising Camelot

The announcement by History in December 2009 that it was planning to show The Kennedys was a major step for it into scripted programming. But on January 7,History announced that it would not broadcast The Kennedys. It said,After viewing the final product in its totality,we have concluded this dramatic interpretation is not a fit for the History brand.

The cryptic statement from History seemed to reflect criticism that dogged the project for months,even before it started production. In February a group of historians organised by a liberal filmmaker,Robert Greenwald,issued a condemnation based on early drafts of scripts obtained by Greenwald. These historians said the scripts contained factual errors,fabrications and more than a dash of salacious innuendo.

With the mini-series under a microscope,its producers turned to two other historians,Steven M. Gillon and Robert Dallek,to help restore its credibility. During the winter and spring,Gillon and Dallek reviewed screenplays for The Kennedys and were concerned with what they read. These people said there were problematic scenes unsupported by facts,including depictions of the Kennedys sexual proclivities.

Some disputed material was altered or taken out. A scene in which Joseph P. Kennedy asks the Chicago mobster Sam Giancana to help throw the 1960 presidential election to John F. Kennedy was updated to add Frank Sinatra as a mediator between Kennedy senior and Giancana.

Not all of Gillon and Dalleks recommendations were taken,but with the clock ticking and the magnitude of the project bearing down on them,the two historians agreed that the scripts met a minimum standard for the production to move forward.

The Kennedys was filmed in Toronto from June to September with a cast featuring Greg Kinnear as President Kennedy and Katie Holmes as Jacqueline Kennedy. But when edited episodes were presented to the consulting historians in late 2010,they were surprised by what they saw.

Three people who have viewed The Kennedys say the filmed episodes still have scenes of questionable factuality. Richard Reeves,a journalist whose books include President Kennedy: Profile of Power,said those events most likely never occurred. The three viewers said the mini-series also portrayed a sexual relationship between President Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe,which Reeves dismissed.

Dallek said that in contrast to recent presidencies that had a desultory quality and demoralised the country,President Kennedys was still remembered by many for its optimism and Kennedys inspirational speeches.

The genre of biographical films has all but trained audiences to expect a certain amount of fictionalisation with their facts,said Gary Lico,the chief executive of CableU,a research firm that tracks cable tv. I dont think its unique to tv; talk to me about The Social Network, Lico said,referring to David Finchers hit film. David Nevins,Showtimes president of entertainment,said last week that though his network passed on The Kennedys,he felt the mini-series was well-acted,well-made,very watchable.

If the Kennedy family were to be displeased with the series,it would have the leverage and connections to make this known to History and its governing board. But people familiar with the discussions of the History board say that when it convened at the end of 2010,its unease about the accuracy of The Kennedys was more than sufficient to turn it against the project.

Neither Dallek nor Gillon felt the mini-series met Historys standards. The board was also said to be strongly influenced by memos from the historians detailing remaining factual inaccuracies and errorWhatever happens with The Kennedys,Reeves offered a prediction about Americas fascination with that family: People thought it would end with a certain generation,and it wont end because they are cultural figures. The Kennedys are never going away.DAVE ITZKOFF